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7"; jid/6,72 7024 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VITOLI) CHARLES ANTOINE PHILIPPE DIEUDONNE GUILLAUME, COMTE DE NYDPRUCK, AND LOUIS ANTOINE BEUNON, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

PIANO-ACTION.`

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 239,670, dated April 5, 1881.

Application [iledNovemher29,1BSO. (N'o model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, VIIOLD CHARLES ANTOINE PHILIPPE DIEUDONNE GUILLAUME, Comte de Nydpruck, and LOUIS ANTOINE BEUNON, citizens of France, residing at Paris, in the Department ofthe Seine and Republic of France, have invented cert-ain new and useful Improvements in Piano-Actions and the Method of Constructing the Same; and we do It hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, refer ence being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to letters or tigures of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this s pecitication.

Our invention relates to new improvements in the construction ot' piano-actions, and it zo consists in the peculiar construction and coinbination of the several elements of a pianoaction, as hereinafter fully described, and as illustrated in the accompanying two sheets of drawings, in which- Figure l shows, in elevation, a piano-action constructed according to our invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are side and front elevations, respectively, of the damper, the former partly in seetion. Figs. 4t and 5 are side and front eleva- 3o tions ofthe damper-liftingjack5 and Fig. 6 is a section on line x x of Fig. 4. Figs. 7 and S show in elevation and in section, respectively, the hammer-lifting jack, the section being taken on lineyy, Fig. 7. Fig. 9 shows, in elevation, partly in section, the hammer and its rod. Fig. 1() is an elevation ofthe lower part thereof, and Fie. 1l a section on line e' z of Fig. 9.

We have employed like letters of reference 4o to indicate like parts wherever such may occur in the above flgures of drawings.

The usual construction ot' piano-actions is so well known that we deem it inexpedient to enterinto minute details otdescription, as those conversant with the art to which this invention appertains will readily understand the same Without such description, and it will suffice here to say that we not only reduce the heretofore complicated mechanism and numerous 5o parts of said actions to four pieces, but also that these pieces are all made of metal, except such parts thereof as cannot be made of this material, such as the hammeritself, the dampercushions,and the buffers, and ahutments, which are made of the usual materials employed therefor.

In Fig. l we have shown the entire action of our improved construction, and A represents the damperrail provided with the Ilexible cushion or abutment a for the damper-rod. 6o B is the hammer-rail, C, the hammer-rest rail with its usual cushions; D, the buffer-rail with its adjustable buffers d; E, the guide-rails for thejacks'; and F is the key, with its exible abutmeutf, for the hammer-jack, and the lifting-blocks f for the damper-jack.

It will be seenfthat we employ here only four principal operating-pieces-namely, a hammer, G, a hammer-jack, II, a damper, I, and a damper-jack, K, the hammer-jack being pro- 7o vided with a rearwardly-projecting abutment or repetition spring, K', which latter is integral with the jack. These parts are all made of thin sheet metal, and the method we employ for imparting to these pieces the necessary elasticity and strength, according to the work they have to perform, is as follows:

For such parts as require greatest strength, and consequently least elasticity or pliabilityas hammer-rods, for example-we take the 8o strip of sheet metal, whether iron, brass, or other preferred metal, and bend it in the form of a tube, as shown, (Figs. l, 9, and 10,) said strip being of the required shape, so that the tubular portion will extend only to a certain point, gf, of the ham mer-rod g, leaving a flat extension, which is then doubled upon itself to form one hinge-bearing, g2, then again bent downward and doubled upon itself to form a second hinge-joint, g3, the flat part of the strip 9o being then brought upon the tubular rod and there secured by a screw, g4, or other suitable means, all as plainly shown in FiO. 9.

When it is desired to impart to the piece a greater elasticity', consequently less rigidity- 9 5 as for the hammer-jacks, for instance-instead of bending the blank or strip of sheet metal into tubular form,we corru gate or form a groove,

h, longitudinally of the strip, and twist the upper and lower end, 7i h2, atright angles to the loo body, the upper end being bent to form the hin ge-joint to hinge it to the correspondin gj oint g3 of the hammer-rod, the `joint g2 being connected with that b of the hammer-rail B, thus forming the hinges which connect the parts iiexibly together.

lhen it is desired to impart to the piece still greater elasticity, hence less rigidity, as is required for the damper-jacks, we simply twist the strip of sheet metal at such places where the hinges are formed, and if greater rigidity is required we increase the twists to four or more, as shown in Figs. 1, 4, and 5. By means of these blanks or strips of metal, the necessary shape or rit may also be given to the particular piece, as said strips may be bent at any desired angle, doubled upon themselves, or twisted to increase or decrease their elasticity, as shown in the construction of the damperrod t', Figs. l, 2, and 3, where the greatest rigidity is required at t, and also a hinge, as at 2,to hinge it to the damper-rail C, which is obtained by doubling the strip upon itself for a certain distance and without twisting.'

In practice the strips of metal are stamped out in required lengths and shapes, according to the use made thereof, and then bent, twisted, or doubled and shaped.

Instead. ot' using the usual piece ofwire and cord for retracting the hammer-jack, we employ a tlat metal spring, S, secured to a hutton, s3, the free end of which is secured in a socket, S2, form ed by bending over a. projection on the blank or metal strip, and we find this a 1n uch simpler and especially a much cheaper construction, and which can be more readily applied, or said .spring may be connected to the jack in any other manner.

The abutment on the rear of the jack or repetition spring K is formed by inserting a flat spring into a socket also formed by doubling or bending a portion of the blank.

From what has been said it will readily be understood,especially bythose conversant with the construction of piano-actions, that our improvements not only greatly simplify the construction of piano-actions, but very considerably reduce their cost.

We are aware that twisting, doubling, or

corrugating sheet metal to impart greater strength thereto is not new, and we do not desire to claim this, broadly; but

What we do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1.V A piano hammer-rod having a tubular body and a double hinge, g2 g3, made from a single blank ot' sheet metal, substantially as shown, and for the purposes speeitied.

2. A piano damper-rod having' double and single hinges made from a blank of sheet metal doubled and bent to the shape, substantially as shown and described.

3. A hammer-jack for piano-actions, having a corrugated body, a socket, s2, and spring K, made from a blank of sheet metal bent to the shape, substantially as shown and described.

4. A piano-action composed of four pieces, G, H, I, and K, made from suitable sheet.- metal blanks rolled, twisted, doubled, and bent, asdescribed, in combination with an actuating-key, as shown and for the purposes specitied.

5. The combination, in a piano-action, ot' a key with the hammerjack II, provided with a spring, K', and a hinge-joint, the hammer G, having hinges g2 g3, the guide-rail E, and bui'er d, saidjack and hammer-rod being made ot metal bent in the manner substantially as described, and arranged to operate as set forth.

6. The combination, with the hammer G and thejack H, having a socket in its rear face, of the coiled retractiug-spring S, and buffer d, all constructed and arranged to operate substantially as and for the purposes specified.

7. llhe combination., in a piano-action with a key, ot' thejaek H, having a spring, K, and a socket, s2, the retraeting-spring S, damperjack K, and damper I all constructed and arranged to operate substantially as shown, and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof we aiiix our signatures in presence ot' two witnesses.

LE COMTE DE NYDPRUGK. L. BEUNON.

Witnesses RoBT. M. Hoorna, E. Baena. 

